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This was an 8 day holiday with daily excursions in the mountains and valleys of the Pyrenees accompanied by expert ornithologists, botanists and entomologists. We saw an amazing variety of birds, mammals, butterflies and beautiful flowers. The highlight for me was seeing a Lammergeier sitting on a nest, as well as seeing them flying on several occasions. This was my second holiday with Naturetrek and I will certainly be booking again. The organisation and communication is excellent and arrangements can be very flexible to suit your needs.
C.G. Oxfordshire, Jun 24
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A Wildlife Festival in the French Pyrenees
Tour Code: FRA31On this 8-day holiday, we block-book all 25 rooms of a splendid hotel high up in the Pyrenees for a week of wonderful wildlife walks
8 days
from
£1,895 (Inc flights)
£1,895 (Inc flights)
Land only price
from
£1,745
£1,745
Highlights
Tour Itinerary and Reports
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Summary
On this special festival departure we take sole occupancy of a lovely hotel in the picturesque Pyrenean village of Gedre. Back in 2022 when we last did this, we enjoyed a wonderful, convivial week of wildlife exploration during which many new friendships were made!
The Pyrenees’ isolation from the rest of Europe and a wide range of habitats has led to a rich endemic flora and diversity of birds, butterflies and other insects. A comfortable family-run hotel in the quiet village of Gedre, close to the Parc National des Pyrénées, provides an ideal base, from which we explore the region on daily mountain walks, and the perfect European holiday for the all-round naturalist. June is the best time to see the spring flora, after the winter snows have receded, and early enough to avoid the summer crowds. Breeding birds include Lammergeier, Griffon Vulture, Golden Eagle, Common Rock Thrush, Ring Ouzel, Citril Finch and White-winged Snowfinch and butterflies can be numerous.
- The perfect mountain holiday for the all-round naturalist
- Block-booking of friendly family-run hotel with excellent traditional cuisine
- Meet plenty of like-minded people (group size of 36 or so)
- Daily mountain walks in and around the Pyrenees National Park – fabulous walking country
- A diverse flora including many regional endemics
- A range of breeding birds including Golden Eagle, Lammergeier and Griffon Vulture
- Alpine Marmots and Pyrenean Chamois
- A wealth of butterfly species and other insects
- Guided by Naturetrek botanist & ornithologist leaders
Grading
A/B. There will be a range of options available each day, from easy pottering to more challenging walks.
Back in the summer of 2016, to celebrate Naturetrek’s 30th anniversary, we took over the Hôtel la Brèche de Roland for two consecutive weeks, spending a wonderful time with two successive groups amidst grandiose Pyrenean scenery, delightful sunny weather and with a varied and flexible programme of wildlife walks and excursions. Such was the success of that fortnight, with Golden Eagles, Citril Finches, a Wallcreeper, Black and Middle Spotted Woodpeckers, Lammergeiers, Marmots, Chamois and a dazzling array of butterflies and alpine flowers, that we ran a similar festival in the Dolomites in 2018 and Abruzzo in 2019. For 2020 we have decided to repeat the festival in the French Pyrenees, four years after our inaugural event.
Naturetrek and Odile and Phillipe Pujo, the owners of the Hôtel la Brèche de Roland, go back a long way. Indeed we have worked with them for almost 30 years, longer than any other hotelier in Naturetrek’s 33-year history. Our story together began with the first Gulf War. When Saddam Hussein’s forces invaded Kuwait in August 1990, Naturetrek’s founders, David and Maryanne Mills, had been running their business for four years exclusively to long-haul destinations, particularly to those in the Himalaya and the rest of the Indian subcontinent. However, from August 1990 until the ensuing war of early 1991 concluded at the end of February, Naturetrek bookings ceased. Nobody was prepared to book a long-haul holiday at this time, let alone one overflying the Gulf region! Their business had come to a complete standstill and so they decided to launch a programme of European holidays on which to fall back at such difficult times. So it was, in June 1991, that Maryanne and David – and a one-year-old baby – headed to the French Pyrenees to see what the area had to offer. The following year, in June 1992, David and Maryanne returned to the Pyrenees, accompanied by botanist Martin Beaton and his wife Louise, to run two full groups back-to-back from Odile and Phillipe’s hotel. It was the perfect destination for the all-round natural history enthusiast … and one that we’ve been returning to every year since!
So, once again in June 2020, we’d like to invite as many of you as possible to fill the Hôtel la Brèche de Roland. You will be joined by a number of long-standing Naturetrek leaders, amongst them expert birders, botanists and entomologists who will be looking for butterflies by day and running a moth trap by night. Such long-standing and popular leaders as David Tattersfield, Jason Mitchell and Tony Williams look forward to returning to the area with us. They will offer you a varied programme of morning and afternoon activities each day which will include both long and short walks, while, for those less keen to walk, there will be minibus excursions to spectacular wildlife hotspots. There will be natural history walks and strolls, raptor and Wallcreeper watches, birding, butterfly and botany excursions, mammal forays, moth traps and much more during our week-long stay in the wonderful high Pyrenees sustained by Phillipe and Odile’s outstanding cuisine and friendly hospitality!
What's Included?
- Flights
- Accommodation:
A splendid, family-run hotel in the picturesque village of Gedre high up in the Pyrenees.
- Food:
All included in the price.
Reviews
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We flew into Lourdes airport and were taken by four minibuses to our splendid, recently renovated hotel in Gedre, The Hotel La Breche de Roland - spectacular view of the snow-capped mountains beyond the breche. Each day, fuelled by a generous breakfast and picnics, we had hot sunshine for our walks through the local valleys, stopping frequently to admire or photograph. We saw everything we had been promised, mostly in excess of the promises, and always closer than expected. I never thought we would get so close to so many lammergeiers! At times we were walking along a ridge as they swooped alongside, even below us. At every brief stop, two of our four guides would set up spotting scopes - skilfully focussed on the topical feature for us to view. My daughter took hundreds of spectacular pictures. Everything was well-choreographed, with our leaders constantly on the look-out for the best way of using the weather or countryside, which they all knew intimately.
P.B. Hampshire, June 22
Dates & Prices
2025
Departures
Availability
Cost
Wed 4th Jun – Wed 11th Jun
SPACES
£1,895
Flights:
Most Naturetrek tours include flight costs ex-UK. If flights are not included, we indicate that here.
Flights are included in the tour cost
Land only cost:
The "Land Only" cost is the tour price you will pay if you choose to arrange your own flights/transport.
£1,745
Room sharing options:
If a customer on this departure has already expressed an interest in sharing a room it will be flagged here. We will identify if there are sharing options for male, female or both.
Male sharing available
Single Room Supplement:
Single Room Supplement.
£230
Tour Leader:
Please note that, whilst we assign leaders to particular tours well in advance, we reserve the right to make changes if necessary
David Tattersfield
Tour Leader: David Tattersfield
David graduated in Botany and went on to do research in upland ecology. During a career with the Nature Conservancy Council and as a horticulturist with the National Trust for Scotland, he gained an extensive knowledge of the world's mountain floras. He is an energetic, experienced field botanist and photographer, and his love of mountains and wilderness has taken him to five continents. Above all, he enjoys sharing his enthusiasm for the natural world with others and has led trips for Naturetrek to a variety of destinations in Europe, north and south Africa and central Asia. Between tours David is based in Kirkmichael in highland Perthshire, where he works as a horticultural and ecological consultant and lectures on his travels.
2026
Departures
Availability
Cost
Sun 7th Jun – Sun 14th Jun
SPACES
£1,995
Flights:
Most Naturetrek tours include flight costs ex-UK. If flights are not included, we indicate that here.
Flights are included in the tour cost
Land only cost:
The "Land Only" cost is the tour price you will pay if you choose to arrange your own flights/transport.
£1,845
Single Room Supplement:
Single Room Supplement.
£275
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[description] => Botanical Tours – See Wild Flowers with our Expert Botanical Guides
There are few more pleasing sights in the natural world than a meadow filled with wildflowers. Seeing plants in their native habitat is always exciting and our flower tours offer you an incredible choice, from dazzling tropical blooms and the thrill of finding elusive orchids or delicate alpines, to seeing island endemics or British flora. Our tours range from week-long holidays focusing on the ‘Alpine flowers of the Swiss Alps’, the ‘Italian Dolomites’ and the ‘Alpine Flowers of Slovenia’s Julian Alps’, to orchid-hunting on Italy’s Gargano Peninsula and searching for the Autumn Plants of Greece’s Peloponnese. We also visit more remote areas of the world in search of plant-life, from the Tien Shan Mountains of Kazakhstan where we look for wild tulips, to the rainforests and spiny deserts of Madagascar where over 80% of the flora is endemic.
Many of us want to know more about the plants we see around us. Whether inspired by an appreciation of the aesthetic appeal of flowers, or a more focused desire to identify individual species, everyone with an interest in botany will derive pleasure from joining one of Naturetrek’s flower tours.
Why choose Naturetrek’s botanical holidays?
- All our botanical holidays are led by expert botanist guides
- All levels of interest and expertise are catered for, from hobby gardeners and complete beginners to keen botanists who wish to explore a new area with the help of a knowledgeable leader
- We keep the overall focus on flora, though expert guidance is also given on other wildlife
What can I expect on a typical Naturetrek botanical holiday?
- Travel with a group of like-minded people
- Stay at a comfortable hotel or lodge, close to an area of outstanding botanical interest
- Enjoy a series of leisurely day excursions with ample time to appreciate the local flora
In addition to our dedicated flower tours, we also offer holidays with a wider theme to encompass birds, butterflies and other aspects of natural history as well as the flora. Our spring tours to 'Crete' and ‘The Island of Cyprus’ are both timed to allow us to enjoy the botanical highlights as well as the spring bird migration, whilst ‘Croatia and Slovenia – Spring in Istria’ also allows time to enjoy a little of the local culture. ‘Romania – the Wildlife of Transylvania’ combines an appreciation of the flora of the Carpathian Mountains with birding, butterflying and a trip to look for Brown Bears from a purpose built hide, and our holidays in both the ‘French Pyrenees’ and the ‘Spanish Pyrenees’ combine birds, butterflies and botany throughout the week.
Our specialist recommends...
"I'd recommend 'Wengen – Alpine Flowers of the Swiss Alps', 'Crete' and 'The French Pyrenees', which all offer some fascinating European botany, along with plenty of wider natural history and some stunning scenery. If you’re keen to travel a little further afield, I’d suggest joining us in South Africa for our 'Wild Flowers of the Cape & Namaqualand' tour”
David Tattersfield - Tour Leader
David Tattersfield - Tour Leader
Birding Tours Led by Expert Naturalists
The majority of our wildlife tours focus primarily on birds, allowing us to offer a huge choice of bird holidays. On most of our birdwatching tours we aim to see a wide variety of species, while taking time to enjoy other wildlife as well as cultural highlights and architecture.
Naturetrek Birdwatching Tours
We have one of the largest selections of professionally organised, small group birdwatching holidays around the world and all of our birdwatching tours are accompanied by at least one professional ornithologist leader with detailed knowledge of the area.
The majority of our bird tours have a relaxed, flexible approach which allows more time for photography, detailed wildlife exploration, leisure time and the region’s people, culture, history and architecture, while allowing the group to see a wide range of bird species.
Here is a small selection of our many bird holidays:
- Southern Morocco – an exploration of the birdlife in Morocco’s southern deserts, oases and mountains
- The Camargue in Spring – a short break to enjoy the spring birds of the Rhône Delta and Camargue wetland
- Wallcreepers & Cranes in Northern Spain – a 2-centre holiday focusing on Lammergeier, Wallcreepers, raptors, Cranes, bustards, sandgrouse and more!
- Madeira & Desertas Islands – A Seabird Extravaganza! – a short break focusing on special breeding seabirds, including a night on the remote Destertas Islands
- Peru – Macaws & Machu Picchu – searches for boobies, macaws and Inca Terns
- Spain & Morocco: Birding on Two Continents! – watch the spectacular spring bird migration from both sides of the Straits of Gibraltar
Our Bargain Birdwatching Selection
Our Bargain Bird Tours are intensive birdwatching holidays suitable for the serious birder. They are led by expert English-speaking local guides (and not accompanied from the UK by a tour leader). You can expect a higher-paced tour and to spend long hours in the field.
Our specialist recommends...
"Try Coto Doñana & Extremadura for an excellent introduction to Europe's wetland and steppe birds. I would recommend our bargain holiday, 'Nepal – A Birdwatching Tour' for those interested in Siberian rarities and Ibisbill, while Costa Rica offers a chance to search for arguably the world's most beautiful bird, the Resplendent Quetzal."
Byron Palacios - Tour Leader
Byron Palacios - Tour Leader
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Butterfly Watching Holidays Led by Expert Naturalists
Who can fail to be delighted by butterflies – the intensity and variety of their colours, their delicate beauty and fascinating life cycles? Our tours allow butterfly-watching enthusiasts to observe marvellous species all around the world. Sadly, butterflies are in decline in many regions. To help prevent the loss of these beautiful creatures, our butterfly holidays make a direct contribution to their conservation.
Naturetrek Butterfly Tours
- We offer an excellent range of dedicated butterfly holidays
- All tours are led by a Naturetrek butterfly-watching expert
- Although butterflies are the main focus of our butterfly tours, we also take time to observe other wildlife
- By booking one of our dedicated butterfly holidays you will automatically be making a contribution to their conservation.
Here’s a selection of our dedicated butterfly tours:
Although we include butterfly-watching in many of our holidays, we offer a wide selection of dedicated butterfly tours, including:
- The Cevennes – we look for butterflies in the Massif Central
- Butterflies in Normandy – we go in search of some of Normandy’s 160 species of butterfly
- Sweden's Butterflies & Dragonflies – Sweden is home to Large Blue, Apollo, Scarce Copper and many more species
- Butterflies of the Dolomites – we explore sheltered valleys and butterfly hot-spots in the Italian Dolomites
- Sri Lanka - A Butterfly Tour – seeking Sri Lanka’s dazzling tropical species
- Butterflies of Morocco's High Atlas Mountains – a search for the butterflies of the High Atlas Mountains, with a wealth of other wildlife and mountain walks in spectacular scenery.
Naturetrek & Butterfly Conservation
As a top category ‘Gold’ corporate sponsor of Butterfly Conservation (BC), we donate around £1,500 annually to the charity. As well as this, since 2002 we have donated 10% of all income generated by our annual programme of butterfly tours that we run in partnership with BC, and give BC membership to all non-members joining the tours.
Our specialist recommends...
"I'd recommend Naturetrek's Butterflies of South Africa holiday. On this butterfly holiday we look for butterflies in the Wajkkerstrom (montane grassland), which supports a wonderful diversity of species. Closer to home I'd suggest our Butterflies of Hungary tour, or Butterflies of Croatia for unspoilt landscapes and a density of butterfly-life rarely seen in western Europe now."
Tom Brereton - Operations Manager
Tom Brereton - Operations Manager
Prefer to Travel in a Private Group?
For any interested natural history club or society, we can arrange for a private departure of this tour.
Enquire
Why Naturetrek?
At Naturetrek we craft expertly-guided group and tailor-made wildlife holidays and cruises to all seven continents. On one of our holidays, you can be assured that our passionate team will enable you to experience and enjoy the best of the world's wildlife and natural spectacles in as comfortable and rewarding a manner as possible, caring as best we can for the environment in the process. We are proud to provide:
- The widest choice of wildlife holidays worldwide
- Tours managed and led by naturalists, for naturalists
- Outstanding value and exceptional customer service
Furthermore, as a Naturetrek client, our office team are always to on hand to help you – so if you have any queries about your holiday, whether before or after you have booked, we will be delighted to answer them on the phone. Please just give our team a call!
